Prior puzzles have used sets of cubes in conjunction with pictures to form picture puzzles. In one prior cube puzzle, pictures are divided into segments with the picture segments applied to different sides of cube pieces that are connected to form the cube puzzle. The puzzle requires correct positioning of the cube pieces in order to reform the pictures from the picture segments on each side of the puzzle cube.
FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 illustrate two-dimensional views of images 10, 20, and 30, respectively, that may be used on different sides of a puzzle. Each of the images in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 are assembled on a single plane. If each image is a simple two dimensional puzzle and each of the individual puzzle pieces are represented by the smaller squares, for example, square 31, then it would be relatively easy to disassemble the puzzle, mix up the puzzle pieces, and then reassemble the pieces into the original images using the images as a guide.
FIG. 4 illustrates a three-dimensional block view of a prior art cube puzzle 40 where multiple images reside on different sides of the cube and each of the individual images are formed in a single plane. Since puzzle 40 is a cube there would be a total of six images (one image per side of the cube). However, only three images 41, 42, and 43 are able to be shown in the FIG. 4. In this prior art cube puzzle, an individual puzzle piece is in the shape of a block or cube. Each of the puzzle pieces must be matched up appropriately to form all of the images that the particular piece is a part. This is particularly true on the corners where each individual comer puzzle piece would have a portion of three different images on three different sides and on the edge pieces where each individual edge puzzle piece would have a portion of two different images on two different sides.
To disassemble and then reassemble the type of cube puzzle illustrated in FIG. 4 may be more challenging than a puzzle containing a single two-dimensional single image such as puzzle images 10, 20, and 30 illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, respectively, because of the multiple images, all on different sides of the cube puzzle 40. However, such puzzles may be still be of limited challenge because they do not require the three dimensional orientation of picture segments, forming a complete picture, in multiple planes relative to each other.